Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Delaware State Executive Officials
October 29, 2012
Dover, Delaware: Three state executive positions are up for election this year in the state of Delaware.
Voters will make their choice for the following positions on November 6:
All three incumbents - Governor Jack Markell (D), Lieutenant Governor Matthew Denn (D), and Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart - are seeking re-election.
Delaware law calls for Governor and Lieutenant Governor to be elected separately, which means the office could be held by members of different parties.[1] The last time that happened in Delaware was 1984, when Democrat S.B. Woo served as Lt. Gov. under Republican Gov. Mike Castle.[1]
Governor
| Candidates for governor |
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See also: Delaware gubernatorial election, 2012
Jack Markell:Markell is the incumbent, first elected in 2008.
Jeff Cragg: Cragg previously was a candidate for the Delaware House of Representatives District 11 in 2000.
Jesse McVay
Mark Joseph Perri
David Graham (Write-in)
Race ratings from The Cook Political Report[4], Governing Politics[5], and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball[6] list the race as solidly Democratic, leaning Democratic, and safe Democratic.
Roughly $1 million, or about 52 percent of the $1.9 million raised for Markell's campaign since January 2011, has come from outside the state.[7] According to his campaign reports, in 2011 and 2012 about $964,500, or less than half of the money raised by Markell’s campaign, came from Delaware contributors, including $75,000 from the state'sDemocratic Party.[7]
More than 18 percent, or $368,300 – came from more than 560 donors in Pennsylvania, with nearly $112,000 coming from Maryland and $257,750, roughly 13 percent, from donors in New York and New Jersey.[7]Markell's campaign finance reports also show money for his campaign coming from Alabama, Maine, Colorado, Montana, and one donor from Japan.[7]Cragg raised $60,000 in the course of his campaign, which includes $26,250 from himself.[7]
Markell’s fundraising for this campaign differs from his 2008 race, when reportedly 60 percent of the more than $4 million he raised came from businesses and individual donors in Delaware.[7]
Lt. Governor
| Candidates for lieutenant governor |
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Matthew Denn:Denn is the incumbent, first elected in 2008.
Sher Valenzuela
Margie Waite-McKeown
Denn's opponent, Republican challenger and small business owner Sher Valenzuela made a political splash as a relative political newcomer. The lieutenant governor race is getting more attention than usual this election year after Valenzuela was invited to speak at the Republican Convention in Tampa.[1]Her convention appearance has boosted her name recognition in the state and beyond.[1]
When asked about the possibility of a split-ticket administration, Valenzuela said she's ready to work in a split administration. “We've got 24 years of one party rule, and 24 years of one party rule, whatever the party is, does not lead to the outcome that is best for the citizens.”[1]
For Denn, the possibility of working in a split administration is not even on the radar. “I have contemplated many things in my life, but me winning and Jack losing is not something I've spent a lot of time thinking about.”[1]
Insurance Commissioner
| Candidates for Insurance Commissioner |
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Karen Weldin Stewart Incumbent
Benjamin Mobley
David R. Eisenhour Withdrew
Stewart faced significant opposition from three challengers in the Democratic primary. Having defeated all three, including Mitch Crane who received significant support and endorsements in the primary, Stewart is expected to win re-election by a wide margin.[9] Stewart beat out Crane for the nomination by less than 1,000 votes.[10]
On October 24, 2012 Libertarian candidate David R. Eisenhour suspended his campaign, announcing instead that he will run for clerk of the peace in Sussex County.[11] Eisenhour urged his supporters to vote for his Republican challenger Benjamin Mobley, stating that when he announced his intention to run, only Democratic candidates had announced their candidacy and he decided to run in an effort to give voters another choice.[11]
See also
- Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Delaware State Legislature
- Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Delaware Congressional Seats
- Ballotpedia:2012 general election preview articles
- November 6, 2012 election results
- State executive official elections, 2012
- Ballotpedia:Statewide projections for the November 6, 2012 elections
- Delaware state executive official elections, 2012
- Delaware down ballot state executive elections, 2012
- Delaware gubernatorial election, 2012
- Delaware lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012
Footnotes
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 NewsWorks, " Delaware Lt. Gov. race influenced by GOP convention" accessed October 27, 2012
- ↑ NPR "Republican Governors Gear Up For Election Gains" accessed October 18, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Exmainer, "Republicans likely to gain historic record majority of governorships this fall" accessed October 27, 2012
- ↑ The Cook Political Report, "Governors: Race Ratings"
- ↑ Governing Politics, "Looking Ahead: The 2011-2012 Gubernatorial Landscape," December 2, 2010
- ↑ Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball', “2012 Governor Ratings”
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Delaware Online, "Out-of-state donors pad Markell's funds" accessed October 16, 2012
- ↑ NewsWorks, "Delaware's hot political races" accessed October 27, 2012
- ↑ NewsWorks, "Delaware's hot political races" accessed October 27, 2012
- ↑ WDDE "Karen Weldin Stewart tops crowded Insurance Commissioner primary field" accessed October 27, 2012
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Republic, "Libertarian suspends campaign for Delaware insurance commissioner, endorses GOP candidate" accessed October 24, 2012
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